Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh was a legendary king of Sumerian Mesopotamia (modern-day Southern Iraq) who ruled between 2800 BCE and 2500 BCE. Despite the pervasiveness of writing in Mesopotamia at the time, much about his rule remains unknown due to the lack of historical records. Most of what we know about his history comes from the Epic of Gilgamesh, the foundation of which was written by multiple authors several hundred years after his rule. The Epic of Gilgamesh was only assembled into a complete story around 1800 BCE, and it may have combined the stories of several individuals into a single character. In the Series, he is an Immortal Humani brought to life by Prometheus himself long before the fall of Danu Talis over 10,000 years ago. Abraham the Mage granted him immortality using the magic contained in the Codex, however the spell had two unfortunate side effects: his aura (and thus any ability to use magic) was removed, and his memory was fragmented to a point where it became difficult to remember his sister Tsagaglalal. Gilgamesh is described as a wild-haired, shaggy-bearded tramp wrapped in layers of cloth covered in writing. The writing, primarily done in cuneiform and heiroglyph, both serves to aid his damaged memory and to form wards of protection (as he cannot defend himself with magic). Immortality & Aura The spell Abraham used to make Gilgamesh immortal removed his aura. Since the aura is the force which keeps living creatures alive, it can be deduced that the spell used was designed to create an alternative life-force to keep Gilgamesh alive and replace his aura. Marethyu is another example of a living being with no aura; in Marethyu's case it is his hook which provides the force necessary to keep him alive. The exact source of Gilgamesh's immortality remains unknown, but it may be linked to the Codex. Unlike conventional forms of immortality, Gilgamesh's immortality may have also provided him with physical resilience. (As is commonly said throughout the series, immortality and invulnerability are entirely different; poison, illness, and injury are able to kill an immortal). Nicholas Flamel mentions he foiled a suicide attempt in 1945 in which Gilgamesh had intended to stand under a nuclear blast, thinking that if his body was sublimated he may finally be able to rest. This may indicate that Gilgamesh was invulnerable to most commonly fatal things. In The Enchantress, Gilgamesh requests that his immortality be removed using the codex. Gilgamesh believes that when this is done he will continue to age as a normal humani would, rather than the rapid and violent aging experienced by most immortals when the gift is revoked. Whether or not he regained his aura with this process is not mentioned. Abilities * Early Life Known as Bilgames in the earliest Sumerian Texts, Gilgamesh is first featured in history as the Fifth King of Uruk, a Sumerian city-state, and ruled for 126 years according to the Sumerian List of Kings. In the series, however he is said to have lived for ten-thousand years, and was granted his immortality by Abraham the Mage. He claims that the Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest surviving text in history, is "missing all of the good parts". Regardless of what history tells us, he disappears after his reign ends and leaves only one son, Urlugal. In one point while watching over the line of gold he came across Arthur Pendragon. Who he believed to be the true gold and raised and trained him and helped him become king. When King Arthur died he was unable to accept the loss and his mind broke. He became forgetful, easily confused, and quite insane; he is even unable to remember his own sister and name unless reminded. However he tries to write things down in order to remember them, showing he is aware of what is happening to him, which is why he wants to reverse his immortality. When Shakespeare, Palamedes, Scathach, Joan, and Saint-Germain journey back in time to witness the fall of Danu Talis, they meet Gilgamesh, no longer an old man, but a warrior in his prime. In the Series He met Sophie and Josh Newman, and he taught them the magic of Water, enabling both to become masters of Water. The Epic of Gilgamesh Main article: The Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story following the Sumerian King Gilgamesh, terrified of death, on a heroic quest as he seeks a way to become immortal. The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest known work of literature, with some fragments dating back as far as 2100 BCE. There are large discrepancies between the Epic and the version of Gilgamesh in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. Based on how the Epic was put together (seemingly a collection of shorter stories written by independent sources and at different times), it is possible that when the Epic was assembled, it incorporated accounts of different heroes and merged them into one character. If true, the Epic of Gilgamesh would be a poor representation of his true self. Trivia *Gilgamesh is a master of all four Elemental Magics, though without an aura he lacks the ability to use them. *He is the younger brother of Tsagaglalal. Due to his mental condition he has trouble remembering who she is. Category:Formerly immortal Humani Category:First People Category:Historical figures